


hell's heroes

by 99yeon



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: A fun character study if the girls were all stuck in Hell, And if vivi were God, Ensemble Fic, F/F, Many little stories in one AU where they work together in Hell, despite the summary jinsol is not the main character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29784759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/99yeon/pseuds/99yeon
Summary: In death, Jinsol is an accountant. (Or, how they live again.)
Relationships: Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	hell's heroes

**Author's Note:**

> insp the indie game 'death and taxes'. i played the demo today and a lot of the plot came to me. i didn'tm really think while writing this piece but i hope you enjoy it because i enjoyed this! cw non-explicit off-camera death i mean theyre in hell so like yeah + vague hints to abuse. But it's a good narrative vibe overall, i think

**JINSOL**

In life, Jinsol was an accountant, and a damn good one at that. Not many people can claim to have achieved what she did. She graduated from a good school, with a good degree, soared in her position at a good firm, and turned down promotions in favour of having a good life. And she did get that - she did have a good life. A good life that ended the day she tripped and fell into a geyser. 

She doesn't remember much of what happened in between, floating in the Nether, reduced to atoms, dissolved and barely aware of her consciousness, falling apart at the seams. She remembers having a lot of time to think. To keep her mind sharp, even though there really was no need, even though some part of her knew that the Nether was waiting for her to let herself go, to claim her entirely. 

The next thing she remembers - after eons of thinking, of drifting in an endless, nameless void - is Kahei. Even the sea of dead souls around Jinsol had lit up at her presence, inching closer, begging to be given a second chance. She needs no introduction - you know her when you see her. 

That much, she remembers.

Like a beacon in the fog, Kahei had sifted through the Nether, fixed her eyes on Jinsol, and Jinsol had been ripped from nothingness and brought to the Void.

_ You'll do nicely,  _ Kahei's voice had echoed.

In death, Jinsol is an accountant. She loves her job. 

-

Jinsol hates her job.

She likes the part where she's in charge of making sure the daily numbers tally up, where she gets to tell Sooyoung which of her reapers got a little trigger-happy that day and gets to watch Sooyoung put on her demon-persona and ream her subordinates. She likes rubbing her fingers over the pulsing globe of the Earth she has on her desk, sometimes zooming in to watch scenes she found so familiar in life, likes to think about her human life again. She likes leaving the dirty work to Sooyoung's reapers and staying away from the ugly business of taking life. Hell, she's even semi-okay with having to walk Hyunjin's annoying cat, because Hyunjin recently managed to train the cat (okay, it's a hyena) to stop going for the eyes. 

What she hates is having to sit in the Court of Appeals. No humans (or ex-humans) work here, and for good reason. Kahei was tactful about her job placements. Instead, the Court is staffed by daemons created from the Nether, crafted and molded into vaguely human forms so as to not unsettle the humans it processes. Daemons, for all their humanity, do not know how to make a place less sinister.

Jinsol just tries to drown out the sounds of people begging for their lives back. Tries not to think too much about how she probably glanced over their files and stats at some point. She tries half-heartedly to whistle, tapping her foot nervously against the floor as her palms grow clammy. 

_ ("Sol," comes Sooyoung's voice from the door of Jinsol's office, and a few slow raps against the doorframe sound, "Sol." _

_ "What is it?"  _

_ "Fancy a bet?" Sooyoung's grinning like a shark, but Jinsol knows fear when she sees it. Sooyoung's sweating hard. She waggles the file in her hand, "The Court's nethernet went down again, and this file has to get to Hyejoo before the end of today." _

_ Jinsol bites her lip. A visit to the Court is never good. Humans who spend too long there are usually reduced to screaming wrecks, and sent straight to the Nether. The whole place is perpetually soaked in gloom. But a bet with Sooyoung is too good to pass up, and Jinsol  _ does  _ need a few things done… _

_ "What are your terms?" _

_ "Office basketball."  _

_ Jinsol puffs up her chest. "Are you kidding? This is me you're going against."  _

_ "If you lose," Sooyoung continues, ignoring Jinsol's arrogant reminiscing about how she's won every iteration of office basketball to date, "You help me bring this file to the Court. And if I lose, I'll tell Kahei that I want the new associate she's bringing."  _

_ And oh, it is a perfect wager. Jinsol really doesn't want another colleague, but Kahei had ignored her, as is custom, and informed her that she would be transferring someone from the Animalia sector over to them. If Sooyoung took the new colleague over to her in Field Ops, they would be nice and far from where Jinsol is.  _

_ It's so good that Jinsol doesn't even stop to think why Sooyoung's giving her such good terms. Could it be that Sooyoung's gotten a little more sentimental and a little more grateful for Jinsol's presence in her life? Or could it be that Sooyoung's been attending Hyunjin's 'Telekinesis for Beginners' classes, and has now mastered basic telekinesis, so as to allow a crumpled ball of paper to enter the bin every single time? _

_ The Jinsol of the present doesn't know which one it is. The Jinsol of ten minutes later, holding a file for the Court, does. _

_ "You're on.") _

"Jinsol!" Yerim greets her cheerfully, snapping her out of her reverie, "Fancy seeing you here!" 

"Hey," Jinsol lets the daemon take her into a hug. Yerim, Hyejoo and Chaewon are three of Kahei's premium specimens - they were crafted from the Nether and something else that Kahei won't divulge. Cerberus, their dog, came into existence as the guardian of the Court, but has become more of their dog that they have joint custody of. "Where's Hyejoo? Sooyoung has something for her." 

"She didn't want to come down," Yerim says, a little sad, the purple crescent in her eye flickering. None of the daemons can wrap their heads around why the Court scares the shit out of the rest of them, which lets them do their jobs better, Jinsol thinks. "I miss her. She always brings dog treats for us." 

"For Cerberus," Jinsol agrees, thinking about their three-headed dog. He's the guardian of the Court, but he also loves belly rubs. One supersedes another. 

"For us," Yerim says, her eyes losing their focus. 

"Uh." 

"I'll give the file to Hyejoo for you," Yerim says, and takes the folder from Jinsol. 

A puff of smoke later, she's disappeared and reappeared in front of Jinsol, "All done! Wanna go for lunch?"

Jinsol's head is beginning to spin from the smell of smoke and all the wailing, so she nods agreeably. With a flourish from Yerim unfurling her dark wings, they take off, far away from this hellscape, and to lunch.

-

Heejin's Hor D'oeuvres is a place not too far from the Court. The Void can be surprisingly small when it wants to be. It doesn't obey the rules of physics, so it expands and contracts at will, which can sometimes result in Mount Fuji (the Void's version of Mount Fuji is an active, sizzling volcano that Cerberus takes his baths in) being visible from Jinsol's window. Other times, the walk to the bathroom takes two hours, which is why there are buckets placed strategically in the corridors. 

Heejin, who pronounces the 'H' in Hor D'oeuvres, shakes her head in good-natured disapproval when Yerim lands on the counter with Jinsol on her back, scattering a plate of cookies and shedding daemon ash all over the place. "Yerim, what did I say about flying indoors?" 

Yerim tucks her wings behind her, as if she's a kicked puppy lowering its ears, "I didn't mean to! Ah, I'm sorry! I'll clean this up right away!" 

Yerim dashes off to retrieve the first cookie, and for a moment Jinsol thinks Heejin's going to let her do it. Daemons are known to be way too stubborn to stop once they've set their mind to something. To her surprise, though, Heejin clicks her fingers, and the cookies and associated crumbs hop into a nearby dustpan. The daemon ash dissolves into thin air with a soft sigh. 

"Wow," Jinsol says, and then smirks, "So Hyunjin isn't a total scammer." 

Heejin shrugs. "I don't know what you're talking about. You should try the Brimstone Carbonara." 

"Is it good?" Yerim, who's now sitting docile at the table, asks, already poring over the menu. 

"Jiwoo and I have been working on it for a while." Heejin's eyes sparkle. "It just needed a little kick."

Jinsol's sure it has nothing to do with the repeated trips she's seen Jiwoo take to Mount Fuji. She doesn't mean to spy on her, but when the work's slow and an active, ever-erupting volcano is next door, well. Seeing Jiwoo reach into pyroclastic flows does remind Jinsol that the girl is not human. Not a daemon either, though. Just some really weird mix of hellish species. 

"What?" comes a distant yell from the kitchen, and all three of them wince at the subsequent mini-explosion. Jiwoo pokes her head out of the kitchen, a  _ Hell's Cutest Cook  _ apron wrapped around her neck like a scarf to the point where Jinsol barely can make out the wording. She's holding a spoon of red, molten syrup in her hand, "I heard my name. Heejin, honey, could you come and taste this?" 

"Sure," Heejin smiles, cheeks ruddy, and even Yerim makes gagging sounds (quieter than Jinsol's, because Yerim still doesn't really get why Heejin acting like a complete loser for both her girlfriends warrants that mockery) as Heejin walks over to Jiwoo. Jinsol sticks out her tongue. 

Heejin takes a sip, and promptly turns into a rabbit. 

Jiwoo goes pale. "Uh-oh. That wasn't supposed to happen." She chuckles nervously, glancing from rabbit-Heejin, who's making a noise Jinsol is pretty sure rabbits are incapable of making, and then to Yerim and Jinsol. "Just shout when you're ready to order. I need to make some ingredient changes." 

Jiwoo disappears back into the kitchen, Heejin hopping in behind her, and Jinsol looks at the menu Yerim's been perusing. 

They end up sharing a Brimstone Carbonara, and Heejin's right. It is good. A little fiery for Jinsol's taste, and she's pretty sure a hex was placed in the sauce, but it's what she's grown to expect from living and working in the Void. You don't go about life here without a curse or two - that's what makes it so exciting for its residents. 

"Want me to drop you off?" Yerim asks as she's leaving the money for their meal on the table (Heejin and Jiwoo are still in the kitchen and neither Jinsol nor Yerim really want to find out if Jiwoo managed to reverse the spell she cast on the soup). She squints at the hole in the ceiling where they'd crashed through, "Clear skies, so I could make it back in time to feed Cerberus his dinner."

Cerberus' 'dinner' is the souls of truly awful people who decided to appeal their deaths to the Court. It's one of the things Jinsol finds less terrible about the Court. Nothing sad about seeing the big, three-headed dog snap up an evil soul in each mouth. Sometimes Chaewon sells popcorn and candy. 

"Nah," she tells Yerim, patting her on the back, suddenly feeling very wistful. "Go and kick ass. I'll take the train."

  
  


**CHAEWON**

Chaewon was never meant to be an individual. She was always meant to be a third of a well-oiled daemon trio, and she's very good at doing that. She makes sure the Judge gets to every one of her allotted cases. and in return, gets to have a little fun whenever monsters get the justice they deserve. She gets to unleash a few demonic desires that sit right below the surface, do things the humans could never muster the nerve for. 

Jinsol from Accounts says that she can't bear to watch when they tear into the souls of the damned. Chaewon doesn't really care. She wasn't built to. 

That's not to say she doesn't care at all, because she does, deeply. 

" _ Cerberus isn't eating, _ " is all Hyejoo has to say for Chaewon to fly into a tizzy. One moment she's sitting in their apartment's tiny living room, watching  _ The Void's Got Some Talent, Probably  _ on the TV, and the next, she's soaring through the skies, heading toward Cerberus' enclosure. 

Cerberus lives in a big patch of open land near the Court, and while he usually spends his time doing whatever he likes, he reports to the same area daily for meals and cuddle time with Hyejoo, Yerim, and Chaewon. Kahei never mentioned it, but they're all pretty sure she made Cerberus for them, under the pretense that the Court needed a scary hellhound to intimidate its visitors, after seeing how sad they were. He was unofficially adopted by them after a week or so, and ever since, he's been their loyal steed.

"What do you mean he isn't eating?" Chaewon roars into her phone. A distant bird gets dazzled out of the sky upon seeing her bright pink wings. Chaewon's opted to dye her wings a fun colour - sue her for being a fun daemon. "Who did this? I'll kill them!"

" _ Chae _ ,  _ you don't have to come down here- _ "

Chaewon lands with an ear-rattling  _ boom, _ and Hyejoo lowers her phone from her ear. "Great, you're here."

"Where is he."

"He's with Yerim. She's been trying to get him to eat for the past hour, but he just keeps closing his mouths and shaking his heads." Hyejoo frowns. "I didn't know dogs could do that." 

"Our dog can. Our dog can do anything, because he's perfect." And then, as if to prove a point, Chaewon says, "I'll kill the person who did this."

"Chill," Hyejoo says, "We asked Heejin, and she said Cerberus' probably just throwing a hissy fit. Animals are like that."

"What, is Heejin an animal? How would she know?"

"You'd be surprised," Hyejoo mumbles, and Chaewon chooses not to ask more questions. "Just go home, Chae. He's going to be fine." 

Chaewon was built to be part of a trio, so she knows when Hyejoo is scared, when she's acting brave but is worried sick. Most people don't see it and just assume Hyejoo is the terrifying one among the three of them, the one with no feelings, but spending her entire existence with Hyejoo essentially gives Chaewon a pass into her innermost thoughts. 

"Do you want me to call Yeojin?" she says gently, patting Hyejoo on the shoulder awkwardly, and they make knowing eye contact. A little of Hyejoo's armor cracks, and she nods dolefully. "Okay. I'll call her and she'll talk to Cerberus in dog language." 

She's never believed Yeojin's claims that she's part-hellhound, but for the sake of their mental states, she hopes Yeojin's been telling the truth. If Yeojin goes up to Cerberus and can't fluently ask him what's wrong, Chaewon will- 

The line goes unanswered when Chaewon dials her, and she curses, "Damn. I think she finally found a job." 

**KAHEI**

Things get lonely. They get monotonous when you've existed this long, because the highs and lows of life - well, they all flatten into a straight line given enough time.

She got bored with the name she was given, a name in an unpronounceable tongue, borne from stardust and moonlight, the name she's long forgone.  _ Fate  _ is what her brothers and sisters called her, before they were scattered by the Great Awakening. Before the Earth stirred and belched forward its most mediocre creations yet - humans. 

_ Kahei  _ is what she tells everyone to call her. 

And they do, because they're terrified of her. Because she made them, so they feel obligated to listen to her every whim and fancy. Every daemon she's breathed life into, every human she's fished from the Nether and repurposed in the Void, is terrified of her. Some of them claim to be her friends, but she has an inkling that'll never be true. There's something divisive about being an all-powerful deity.

For the most part, though, she's fine with what she does. She wasn't made to feel. She was made to lead humanity towards its long inevitable sleep, to walk alongside it till the day it breathes its last. 

She'd be lying if she said it didn't get lonely. 

She hears Sooyoung before she sees her. Rounding the bend away from her office and into the bullpen, Kahei sees Sooyoung waving at Jinsol, who looks like a flattened cat.

"I take it Court went well." 

"Get stuffed," Jinsol complains, "It went fine. I met Yerim, by the way, and she says you never visit, you don't call, you don't write." 

Jinsol and Sooyoung share a bad-natured look, but Kahei can see the ghosts of a smile tugging at the corners of Jinsol's lips. Watching them interact can be exhausting, especially when they get moody, but Kahei knows that she chose the right humans for the job. 

She's Fate. Fate doesn't make mistakes.

Jinsol's half-smile freezes when she spots Kahei behind Sooyoung, and she nods her head awkwardly, clamming up. 

Sooyoung turns, "Oh, hey. I was wondering where you were." 

Kahei shrugs. "I see you're having fun." 

"Yeah, Jinsol and I…" Sooyoung trails off when she looks back to where Jinsol was standing. There's practically dust Jinsol kicked up while running off. Sooyoung didn't notice, because if Sooyoung is too dense to figure out that Jinsol is interested in her, she probably didn't notice Jinsol muttering something about quarterly reports and disappearing into her office. 

She wants to say something, but finds that she can't. What could she even ask?  _ Sooyoung, is it weird that I fished you from the Nether and forced you to work as a reaper? Do you think that's what makes Jinsol uncomfortable around me? Sooyoung, is it strange that you're here now instead of being a pool of distended dust in the Nether? _

Most mortals are ill-equipped to answer questions about their mortality. In Kahei's experience, they're more or less the same in death. 

"You know," Sooyoung says, a little gentle, her brown eyes (Kahei tried her best to create daemons in the human image, but she's never managed to capture the essence of their eyes, light that comes and goes, because humans just have something about them that can't be recaptured) warm and understanding, and Kahei knows she was wrong. Sooyoung is the most perceptive human here. It's why she's so good at what she does.

Because Fate does make mistakes, whether or not She wishes to admit it. Kahei ran through a few ill-fitting candidates for the job before landing on Sooyoung. The job isn't for everyone - some days, it feels like it isn't for anyone. Being there when a human breathes their last, taking their hand and leading them into the Nether, coaxing their souls free from their earthly prison takes a touch Kahei could never have created.

"I was a victim when I died," Sooyoung says, matter-of-fact, "I wanted to change the world, but the men around me were- You know how they were. I was young when I died. I was angry, Kahei, you know that." 

"Sooyoung-"

"I was angry for a really long time, and you know how the Nether distorts time," and there are tears glittering in Sooyoung's eyes. "I'm here because you found me. I don't know how you did it, but you did it, and when a primordial force tells you you're the chosen one, well."

"It was destiny," Kahei finds herself saying, and then, as a cheesy afterthought, "It was fate." 

"It was," Sooyoung replies, "And I feel like I never thanked Her." 

Kahei is cold, all the time, but she thinks she breathes warmer now, even if it is only for a few moments. 

-

The Judge is reclining in her luxurious office when Kahei comes. She gives one, two polite knocks, because she could have shadow-travelled but prefers to take the traditional route for courtesy's sake, and opens the door. 

"You're supposed to  _ wait  _ for me to say 'Enter'," Haseul snaps, with no real venom behind the statement. 

"I'm here about the transfer." 

"Good morning to you too, Vivi." 

Kahei bristles, and Haseul laughs freely, gesturing for Kahei to sit down beside her on the couch. Haseul has left her mark all over this office - for one, the couch's upholstery patterns consist of the pained faces of the damned, pressed up to the leather, as if they might burst through any moment. Haseul's job is so damn morbid, Kahei doesn't blame her for leaning into it. 

Haseul is one of the few people Kahei didn't create. But she isn't one of Kahei's siblings, either, which begs the question: What the hell  _ is _ she?

This, Kahei knows - Haseul is the Judge. All appeals go through her. She guards the Door, to make sure no one tries escaping the Void for Earth. She makes the final judgement on damned souls, hears their cases for the very last time before they are sent back to the Nether, or, very rarely, let through the Door and back to Earth. 

The Door is the only way back. No exceptions. There was some funny business with a man named Orpheus some time ago, but they got Eurydice back eventually. 

And that's the thing. Kingdoms rise and fall, languages flower and die, but Haseul and Kahei have stayed through all of that. She has been here before humanity innovated language, and she currently oversees a Nether packed to the brim with souls reminiscing in modern day slang she doesn't really understand. When this all ends, one day, Kahei will be there. And so will Haseul.

"No one calls me Vivi anymore," Kahei mutters, "It was a bad idea."

"No, it's cute!" Haseul protests, "How long ago did you come up with that name? Plato, wasn't it? He inspired the name change?" 

"I don't remember," Kahei grumbles, sinking into the seat, and Haseul either doesn't realize that Kahei is in a less-than-ideal mood or doesn't care, because she gently ribs Kahei on the Vivi thing for a little longer (actually, it was Shakespeare with his 'To be or not to be' riff that inspired Kahei to try out a new name, so Haseul's off by a thousand years or so) before getting down to business. 

"Right, your transfer. The bad news is that Hyunjin vaporized your daemon." 

"What!" Kahei yelps, finally feeling an emotion that isn't a sense of vague tiredness, "Why? How?" 

"She was practising her spells," Haseul replies. "And she was doing it near where some Animalia workers were having a picnic." 

Kahei would vaporize Haseul right now if she could. She never thinks about it when she's with her human subordinates, because, duh, she could wish them out of existence if she wanted, but with Haseul, it's different. It's as if Haseul's worthy of a vaporization.

It feels nice, kind of. To want to fight someone, and to know that they wouldn't beg for mercy the moment you glanced at them. 

"The good news, which you didn't even wait for, is that we have a replacement for you. And you can build new daemons if you want to, so really, what'd you lose?"

"Precious time."

"Right, like we're running out of it," Haseul snorts, then claps her hands, "Well, good talking to you. Your transfer's waiting at your office." 

"Oh my God," Kahei groans, "You brought me here for nothing."

"Not nothing," Haseul gets off the couch and swipes a champagne flute from her desk, holding it out to Kahei, "Want some?" 

"Get stuffed," Kahei says. 

Haseul just sighs dramatically, and Kahei knows her better than not to ask questions. She pauses as she's gripping the handle, and turns back to Haseul, who's back on the couch sipping alcohol (her immortal being gets no kick from it, but Haseul thinks it looks classy. "Who did you replace my daemon with?"

"Kim Jungeun. Real high-flyer." Haseul sounds more genuine now, less of the personality she puts on when she gets nervous. "I picked someone you'd like, Kahei, you know that." 

"I know," Kahei utters, but something's still bugging her. She doesn't remember ever creating a daemon she named Jungeun, and only she and Haseul can enter the Nether without having their existences obliterated, so- "Is she a human?" 

Haseul nods, confirming the sinking feeling in Kahei's stomach. Haseul is still lying - but about something else now, something Kahei cannot put her finger on. She's not used to the feeling, and it distresses her. 

"Why?" Haseul asks innocently. 

Before Kahei throws a fit that'll wreck Haseul's pretty couch and the rest of this ostentatious office, she teleports herself out, which is very polite of her. 

**SOOYOUNG**

"Boss, I gotta tell you something." Yeojin doesn't wait for Sooyoung to even grunt in acknowledgement before she says, "I'm quitting." 

"Okay," Sooyoung says distractedly, fixing her hair in the mirror, and a three-second silence passes before she realizes what Yeojin's just said. "Wait, you're  _ quitting _ ?" 

"Yup. Greener pastures and all," Yeojin gestures vaguely around the bathroom. "It was good while it lasted, right?" 

Sooyoung bites her lip. Yeojin is an absolute terror. She's been challenged to more fights since she joined the Field Ops division than Sooyoung can count, and she has a smart mouth that never stops running. But she's a good worker, probably the best newcomer Sooyoung's had in decades. She's never cruel or standoffish when it comes to leading the humans into the Nether - she's understanding, mature, good, and Sooyoung knows instinctively that they'll lose out if she leaves. 

But she didn't choose to be here. None of them chose to be brought back to life and become reapers in some strange copy of Earth, with a bureaucracy modelled picture-perfect off human government. She's never had a problem with it, but she knows she could make or break Yeojin now. She knows she has to tread carefully. 

Her reply doesn't need much thought. "I'll miss you, kid. What are you gonna do? Did Haseul poach you?" 

"Oh, no. I'm going to learn magic with Hyunjin." 

Sooyoung blinks, and Yeojin puts her hands up in self-defence, "I know what you're thinking, boss. You're wondering what Hyunjin's deal is anyway, like, is she with that Heejin girl or is she a third? Well-" 

"I'm  _ wondering  _ if you've considered that Kahei might just throw you back into the Nether." 

Yeojin frowns, "But Hyunjin did it. She was a human who left the sales department and went off to practise magic." 

"And don't you know how much she went through to get that done?" Sooyoung shakes her head, her stomach a pit of worry. She's always admired Yeojin's foolhardy nature, but now, she feels obliged to stop Yeojin. "Kahei and Haseul fought for years. Haseul wanted her sent straight back to the Nether." 

"So why didn't she?" Yeojin challenges.

Sooyoung pinches the bridge of her nose, and sighs deeply, knowing that she is about to be privy to a huge mistake. That's the thing about being around brilliant people. They're a joy to have around, but they're too volatile, and they have a mind of their own. They don't stay where it's safe. It's pretty much everything Sooyoung's grown to dislike. 

"I don't know," she finally admits, and as she looks back at the mirror, she sees a tiredness that wasn't there before. 

But she also sees Yeojin's earnest look, the determination to grasp her opportunities and seize something for herself, and-

"I have to do this, boss," Yeojin's saying, speeding up when she thinks Sooyoung has stopped listening, not knowing that Sooyoung is listening more intently than she could guess right now, "I can't explain it to you, but I know I have to." 

"Okay." Sooyoung snaps her fingers, and Yeojin's rank patch disappears off her uniform. She grins when Yeojin jumps. You don't work in the Void for centuries without picking up some basic supernatural skills. (A good number of the skills were learnt at the night classes she went to with Jinsol, in fact - the Void has a good community college system for upskilling.) "I give you my blessing. Just don't learn any of the weird spells, okay?"

Yeojin's carefully composed front melts. "Thank you." 

When she's gone, Sooyoung stares at herself steadily in the mirror. Maybe she does need Jinsol's new associate after all. 

-

She was a wealthy woman in life. She was the daughter of some rich man or the other - she can never remember her parents, even if she tries, and she thinks she might stop trying at some point - and was married off to an appropriate son of another rich man. She had the world at her feet. Material possessions were nothing to her, every whim catered to. 

Sooyoung has forgotten many things about her time on Earth, especially as the years stretch on and her afterlife stretches on twenty, thirty times longer than the human one did, but what she can never forget is how she died. It was awful. And it will stay with her to the day she returns to the Nether. And that's all she can say about it. 

All she can do now is make sure the hurt, the vulnerable, the afraid - that they get a fair death, that they walk gentle into the night, and sink into oblivion with none of the anger and fear she holds close to her chest, day after day. 

-

She stops by Hyunjin's hell-home before the day ends, telling her second-in-charge to take over for the day. Hyunjin isn't home, so Sooyoung settles for writing her a stern letter that goes a little like this: 

_ I don't know what you told her to convince her to join you, but if you dare turn a perfectly good kid into some sort of witch…  _

(Really though, wanting to run off into the Wilds with Hyunjin isn't an uncommon experience. Heejin and Jiwoo both did it, both had their rebellious phases and absconded into the forest to hang out with Hyunjin. There's something magnetic about that girl.) 

**JUNGEUN**

"Where'd you say you were from again?" Jinsol, who'd introduced herself very curtly as 'the accountant', demands, chewing on the tip of a pen she's stuck in her mouth, and for the third time in an hour, Jungeun wishes she was anywhere but here. 

There are rumours surrounding Kahei's closest subordinates, of course. One, that the accountant in charge of  _ everything  _ is a little neurotic. And that the woman in charge of Field Ops is a little flirty, but of course is professional when the occasion comes for it. The rumours had been enough for Jungeun to decide ever working there.

This isn't Earth, though, so Jungeun had little choice when the Judge herself showed up at her cubicle and informed Jungeun she was being transferred out of Animalia. 

Working in Animalia is good. Working with human deaths is morbid, and digs into an uncomfortable part of her that she'd rather not explore. Jungeun much prefers the job of sending dogs and cats back into the Nether (and giving them lots of pats and kisses as they let go their earthly tether). Thinking of how other humans are led to their deaths daily is… a little overwhelming. 

"I'm the transfer from Animalia," Jungeun says, not for the first time today, "I think we're going to be working together." 

"Right," Jinsol says, and her eyes focus on a spot behind Jungeun. She goes rigid, and stands stiffly, "Right, that's all the questions I have for you. See you, roomie!"

As Jinsol leaves this (totally normal) interaction, Jungeun comes face to face with  _ her.  _

There are even more stories about Kahei, about Fate herself. Jungeun was raised from the Nether after she died by Haseul's hand, so she has no direct connection to Kahei, but she's heard her fair share of stories. Kahei is the be-all, end-all of the Void. The creator. The destroyer.

Right now, she just looks like a slightly burnt out Asian woman. 

"Kim Jungeun?" she asks, shaking her hand, "I'm Kahei." 

Resisting the urge to say  _ I know _ , Jungeun nods. "I'm Jungeun. But, uh, you already knew that." 

"I did." Kahei purses her lips, and the look of dissatisfaction is clear on her face. "I was expecting a daemon today, so I'll have to change some things up." 

Jungeun looks around the office. She can see Jinsol peeking through the slats in her door, even though she lets out a squeak when Jungeun makes eye contact, and the Field Ops lead isn't here - Sooyoung. Jungeun knows that both are fully human. Just like she is. At least, that's what Haseul told her - _Welcome to the Void, human. You're human. I'm the Judge, and you're here to work for me. Also, you're human._

It's just something she never really questioned. 

It's kind of strange that there are only two humans who work directly with Kahei, who are in charge of all human deaths. It's also strange that these two humans are Kahei's most trusted lieutenants. 

"Did you... not want a human?" 

There's nothing in Kahei's gaze when she looks Jungeun up and down, no light, just the disconcerting emptiness she's grown to expect in the eyes of daemons. She didn't think Fate herself would look this cold. 

"I didn't want  _ you _ ." 

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> lmk if you got the vibe i was going for. let me know what vibes you got  
> leav a comment ! thanks for reading <3


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